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SUKKUR, July 11: Federal Minister for Water and Power Liaquat Ali Jatoi has directed irrigation officials for efficient water management and for exercising constant vigilance of embankments of the River Indus and canals. He was speaking at a press conference here on Monday after taking an aerial view of flood-affected areas arround Sukkur and Guddu barrages along with the Sindh secretary for irrigation and the chairman of the Federal Flood Commission.
He said federal and provincial governments as well as the army were monitoring the flood situation. He said the government had taken large-scale relief measures.
The minister announced one truckload of relief goods each for Sukkur, Kashmore and Ghotki districts which was a part of the prime minister’s relief package of Rs100 million.
He said in his visit to Kotri, Sukkur and Guddu barrages, he had found that the flood situation was under control. However, he said, he had directed the irrigation department to pay attention to vulnerable embankments to avert losses.
Mr Jatoi said he was informed in the morning that water flow at the Guddu Barrage was 545,000 cusecs and it was constant since yesterday. He hoped that it would start receding soon.
He said he had asked the irrigation department to be vigilant in the next week when floodwater of Chenab would reach Guddu. However, he added, the pressure currently was on the Sukkur Barrage.
The minister said he had directed the Sindh irrigation secretary to submit a comprehensive plan to ensure better water management and avoid water losses so that water could be made available in canals throughout the province.
He said he had found at the Guddu Barrage that the river had stretched due to the gushing water but the losses due to the flood had remained minimum.
He also attended a briefing by Guddu Barrage chief engineer Nazir Ahmad Junejo and directed him to submit PC-I for long-term measures to repair weak embankments of the barrage.
He said the government would provide funds needed for relief measures.
Guddu Thermal Power Station chief engineer Jamil Ahmad Arain and DCO Badaruddin Ujjan also briefed the minister about safety measures. Meanwhile, GOC of Pano Akil Maj-Gen Ahmed Nawaz Saleem Mela on Monday visited various relief camps being established in the district for flood affected people.
The GOC said it was the first time that precautionary measures have been taken by the civil administration and army well before the flood.
LARKANA: The district government has established four relief camps along the vulnerable locations in the district.
Speaking at a meeting on Monday, DCO Ahmed Bakhsh Khokhar said relief camps had been set up in Shahani village, Akil, Muhan Pir and Purano Abad near Moenjodaro.
The meeting was presided over by Col Ikram, representative of the GOC Pano Akil.
The DCO said the current of high flood would pass from the district in the next 24 hours.
DADU: Six medical camps have been set up along the Larkana-Sehwan bund in the wake of high flood in the Indus River at the Shaheed Makhdoom Bilawal bridge on Monday.
SDO irrigation Habibullah Chandio said the water level at the bridge was constantly rising.
A medical team, led by EDO health Dr Dhani Bux Thebo, visited different parts of the bund and the Dadu-Moro road.
Mr Thebo told Dawn that five medical camps along the LS bund had been set up to provide health facilities to flood-affected people.
